Family Pride eBook

beneath the butternut tree. But Katy was far
too thoughtless yet for anything serious to abide
with her long; and the world, while it held Wilford
Cameron as he seemed to her now, was too full of joy
for her to be sad, and so she arose from her knees,
thinking only how long it would be before to-morrow
noon, wondering if Wilford would surely be there next
time their evening prayers were said, and if he would
notice Uncle Ephraim’s shocking grammar!

CHAPTER V.

Wilford’svisit.

Much surprise was expressed by all the Cameron family,
save the mother, when told that instead of accompanying
them to New York, Wilford would take another route,
and one directly out of his way; while, what was stranger
than all, he did not know when he should be home; it
would depend upon circumstances, he said, evincing
so much annoyance at being questioned with regard
to his movements, that the quick-witted Juno readily
divined that there was some girl in the matter, teasing
him unmercifully to tell her who she was, and what
the fair one was like.

“Don’t, for pity’s sake, bring us
a verdant specimen,” she said, as she at last
bade him good-by, and turned her attention to Mark
Ray, her brother’s partner, who had been with
them at Newport, and whom she was bending all her
energies to captivate.

With his sister’s bantering words ringing in
his ears, Wilford kept on his way until the last change
was made, and when he stopped again it would be at
Silverton. He did not expect any one to meet him,
but as he remembered the man whom he had seen greeting
Katy, he thought it not unlikely that he might be
there now, laughing to himself as he pictured Juno’s
horror, could she see him driving along in the corn-colored
vehicle which Uncle Ephraim drove. But that vehicle
was safe at home beneath the shed, while Uncle Ephraim
was laying a stone wall upon the huckleberry hill,
and the handsome carriage waiting at Silverton depot
was certainly unexceptionable; while in the young man
who, as the train stopped and Wilford stepped out
upon the platform, came to meet him, bowing politely,
and asking if he were Mr. Cameron, Wilford recognized
the true gentleman, and his spirits arose as Morris
said to him: “I am Miss Lennox’s
cousin, deputed by her to meet and take charge of you
for a time.”

Wilford had heard of Dr. Morris Grant, for his name
was often on Jamie’s lips, while his proud Sister
Juno, he suspected, had tried her powers of fascination
in vain upon the grave American, met in the saloons
of Paris; but he had no suspicion that his new acquaintance
was the one until they were driving toward the farmhouse
and Morris mentioned having met his family in France,
inquiring after them all, and especially for Jamie.
Involuntarily then Wilford grasped again the hand
of Morris Grant, exclaiming: “And are you
the doctor who was so kind to Jamie? I did not
expect this pleasure?”